I thought it was a good remake. As remakes go, it was nothing like the original. Medusa was in there, but how can you save the princess Andromeda without the head of Medusa? I give “mad props” to the writers for explaining her story. For those of you who are unfamiliar, there are actually two stories that involve Medusa. The archaic version describes her as one of three monster sisters, Gorgons, related to maritime lifestyle through their parents, stronger deities. Originally deities in their own right, these girls were demonized as time when on to control female power as the males of the Greek society continued to assert themselves.
I will remind you, should you think this is some sort of feminist drivel, evidence that Greek fortune and kingdoms passed through the female line is found in the Odyssey. Odysseus was fighting to get home and ended up slaying all of his wife’s suitors. Theses suitors did not come from all over because they wanted some middle aged woman for a bedfellow. It was because the kingdom was ruled by whomever her husband was, which is how Odysseus became king. By that time the women could not rule outright any longer, but they still controlled who did. Or their parents did, more to the point.
Take the Iliad for example. Helen of Troy. She may have been beautiful, plain even. But no ruler would put his (or her) forces out just to get back a mate – not when war allowed them to philander as much as they wanted and it was acceptable. For one, Troy was a nice prize and wealthy for tribute to boot. But why build a story around a woman, other than its good to tell around a camp fire of men at war. Why would another prince go after this woman? Maybe they were closer in age, maybe Paris and Helen were both undeniably attractive and attracted to each other. But there was a code of morals and ethics that existed back then, especially among the rulers as they conscripted everyday people to fight in the armies. Rulers went out on to the battle field in those days! They couldn’t screw up or the soldiers would take them down! Helen must have had something else going for her, from her family, state, or bloodline.
Anyway, I digress. The other Medusa story was that she was a beautiful young woman, or at least attractive enough for the god Posiedon to lust for. In order to work in the Virgin Goddess Athena’s temple you had to be a virgin. Long story short she was raped by Posiedon (insert powerful mortal male figure for reality). Medusa asked for forgiveness as it was clearly rape-the myth even states she fought, who would fight a hot god from what was probably the most amazing 15 minutes anyone on earth could dream of??? She was denied and punished.
Evidence of the Vestal Virgins of Rome being buried alive is proof that this truly happened. Accounts include both willful indulgence and proven rape. Unfortunately, at that time girls and woman had no power, rights, or freedoms. So, as was the case with Medusa, she was used, abuse, and ruined. No one wanted to marry a rape victim because of the stigma attached, so unless it could be hidden and her married out of state, the woman would grow old, mostly starving on the fringes of society. Probably living in one of the many caves around the sea. Haggard and warn, her hair might be dreaded, long and matted, looking much much like the snakes that made it into the myth. After all women within society kept their hair up and braided or knotted because of the insufferable heat and sea spray.
So the writers of this remake give her rape story to explain her torture and hate for men, and why Io (a demigoddess herself-though never explained) is immune to Medusa’s punishing wiles. Her snake body is a vestige of the archaic sea monster fears that plagued the Greeks. Personally, I liked Uma from Percy Jackson….
Back to the story. The beginning of the story fits my vague memory from Latin class and 5th grade World History. Perseus, a demigod, loses his kindly adopted parents. Ends up being angry with the gods or at least bringing order back from chaos and maybe saving for a great lay.
My favorite part, the Dragon tooth-sewn army was left out! My favorite part! I was upset. They gave a brief not by having a dragon skin-covered shield. Ok, fine. I got it. Then there was a long sequence of giant scorpions, which was in the original. However, I admit, I do not remember a jinn having such a large part in all of this! I have to go back to the original, as clearly I do not have it as memorized and I thought I did!
The special effects are amazing. And I was tickled pink that Perseus’s hair was so short. Yeah, it could be left over from the actors spot as a Marine in Avatar. I may have been the only one in that theater, or most all over the world, who knew that young men kept the hair cropped short. Longer hair was a rite of passage, hence the older soldiers and the long hair. GO ME! Today I will gladly pay my astronomical student loan because clearly I learned something that will make some of that payment worthwhile. Well, it at least won’t be as painful.
I say watch it. They have a few nods in there to the original movie. Bilbo is left behind, but he is in there! And Pegasus was black. Very stallion like, I said slightly discussed after which L and I preceded to debate the actual color of “wild” stallions. Thank you AP Bio and the Genetics and Gene Splicing unit.
I plan to buy Clash of the Titans (2010) and watch on my amazing, huge, flat screen tv and blu ray player. Thank you, my husband, for wanting it! It was worth every penny and this movie proves it.
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